1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices for holding sample tubes and more particularly relates to an apparatus which allows the user thereof to physically separate groupings of sample tubes by a simple manual operation, thus eliminating the need to otherwise record the history of the manipulations applied to the samples contained within the said sample tubes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hospitals, clinics and research laboratories utilize differing types of sample tube holders, the design of which depends upon the purpose sought to be accomplished. Examples of holders for samples to be centrifuged are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,674,198 issued July 4, 1972; and 4,057,148 issued Nov. 8, 1977. An example of a holder designed to hold containers and associated tubes in linear or curved arrangement, thus facilitating systematic organization of samples, is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,771 issued Jan. 30, 1973. Devices primarily concerned with providing identification labels or coding elements for each sample tube are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,905,772 issued Sept. 16, 1975; 3,905,482 issued Sept. 16, 1975; and 3,604,566 issued Sept. 14, 1971. An example of a holder formed by folding a sheet like material, such as cardboard, is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,160 issued Dec. 2, 1975.
All of these devices are designed to facilitate the handling, arrangement and transportation of sample tubes and most of these prior art devices are designed to clearly identify, by color coding or labeling, the contents of each tube. All of the prior art devices are characterized by rigid compartments adapted to receive but one sample tube per compartment, and are further characterized by the use of labels and other color coding devices to identify the contents of each tube within an associated compartment. The function of the labels and the color coding elements is to provide the user of the apparatus with a record of what manipulative steps have been applied to the sample contained within the associated sample tubes. Thus, the history or the status of the series of tests being applied to the sample is remembered in the form of labels or color codes, each said label or color code being in registration with the sample tube to which it applies. Thus, each sample tube is constrained within a rigid compartment, and each label or color code is positioned in registration with the fixed position compartment and associated tube.